Innovation Mobile phones for water: grassroots high-tech Mobile phones have revolutionised many aspects of life in sub-Saharan Africa, from the way people make everyday transactions to the delivery of public services. Now, thanks to SNV’s partnership with the African Technology Transparency Initiative, International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC)/Triple-S (Sustainable Services at Scale), WaterAid Uganda and Makerere University, mobile phone technology is being used to improve access to safe water in rural Uganda. The Mobile Phones for Water (M4W) system uses open-source software and text messages from community members to identify and track nonfunctional water sources. By simply sending an SMS, users can report broken or faulty water pumps to M4W’s online management system, which will then notify the nearest hand pump mechanic – reducing response times and allowing district authorities 26 CONNECT #2 JULY 2013 to monitor the progress of repairs and respond to unattended problems. Once a malfunction is resolved, users receive an SMS telling them that their water point is safe for use again. But that’s not all – as well as allowing community members to report problems with the water sources they use and hold local government accountable, M4W is improving the accuracy of Uganda’s local water infrastructure mapping. The system has already enabled an update of the information in Uganda’s national water atlas, identifying 547 unlisted water sources and 180 cases where sources were listed but did not actually exist. With more than 1.5 million people impacted so far, M4W is now set to benefit all Ugandans as the Ministry of Water and Environment prepares to integrate the system in the mapping and maintenance of water sources nationwide. For more on our work in Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, visit www.snvworld.org/WASH. Pagina 25
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